


A Taste of Beer

by Lysippe



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-05-02 21:58:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5265200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lysippe/pseuds/Lysippe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: college au where Kat has a major crush on Johanna, who doesn’t seem to know that Kat exists. They get stuck with a class project together and things get revealed</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Taste of Beer

Katniss Everdeen sat down at a table on the top floor of the library, where she had agreed to meet Johanna Mason to work on their project for the mythology class they were both in. It should have been an easy project - Katniss knew plenty about mythology, and the professor was a pretty easy grader, but finding a time that both she and Johanna were free had been next to impossible. She had been sitting down for a couple of minutes when Johanna came up behind her, dropping her backpack loudly on the table, causing Katniss to jump.

Instantly, Katniss could feel the heat spreading across her cheeks, and found herself grateful, as she often was when Johanna was around, that her skin tone didn’t show the blush  _too_ badly. Everything about Johanna Mason made Katniss feel like a stupid, dorky freshman, and she had to wonder if that was exactly what Johanna saw when she looked at her. Not that Johanna ever had any reason to look at Katniss, until she had asked Katniss out of the blue to be her partner.

“God, I can’t believe I’m spending a perfectly good Saturday night in the library,” Johanna complained. “I hate this place. Too big and quiet.”

“I don’t mind it,” Katniss said quietly, not looking Johanna in the eye. She was  _still_ blushing, damn it. This was getting ridiculous. “It’s peaceful.”

“Peaceful? More like dead,” Johanna scoffed. “So, what’s up first? Sex, sex, and more sex, right? All this stuff comes back to sex in the end. Clearly the Greeks were horny sons of bitches.”

“I think there’s a bit more to it than that. It’s really complicated stuff, and it says a lot about their culture and their values…” She trailed off when she saw Johanna’s blank stare. “Sorry.”

Johanna laughed. “You’re really into this stuff, huh?”

“I guess. My dad used to tell me stories about the Greek myths when I was little, before he died. It kind of makes me feel closer to him again,” Katniss admitted. 

She hadn’t meant to share that piece of personal information with Johanna. Katniss wasn’t one to open up to people, and she barely knew Johanna, even if she  _did_  get butterflies in her stomach every time she looked her way. 

To her surprise, Johanna put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly before letting go. “I’m sorry. But that’s kinda cool. In a dorky way, but still. At least it means something to you. Besides, you obviously know your shit, so I clearly got the best partner in the class.”

By this point, Katniss was positive that Johanna could see the blush on her cheeks. “I’m not that good, really,” she mumbled. 

“Whatever. You’re better than me, at least. I’m awful at this. Can’t tell Achilles from Apollo.”

At it turned out, Johanna knew more than she thought she did, and the two worked well together for a few hours, until Katniss was all but falling asleep at her computer.

“Hey, you want to call it a night? You look like you need some sleep,” Johanna said, though Katniss could tell that she was still wide awake. It seemed her partner was a night owl. 

Katniss considered the option. Sleep  _did_ sound nice right now, and she wasn’t focusing very well anyway. But she shook her head. “No, my roommates will just come in drunk later and I don’t want to be there to deal with it.”

Johanna made a face. “Randomly assigned roommates?”

“Yeah. They’re not too bad, though” Katniss said hastily. “I just wish they would be quieter sometimes.”

“Sucks, man. I’ve been there. That’s why I have a single now. I don’t have to deal with anyone I didn’t invite,” Johanna laughed.

“Must be nice,” Katniss said, stifling a yawn.

“Why don’t we go back to my room, then?” Johanna asked casually. “Like I said, I have a single, so no drunk roommates. Well, maybe me, later. But I can hold my alcohol so I’ll probably at least be better than your roommates.”

Katniss raised an eyebrow, trying not to look too interested. “You must really want to get out of here.”

“Is that a yes?” Johanna asked expectantly, already standing and holding her hand out to Katniss.

Taking Johanna’s outstretched hand, Katniss felt a pleasant warmth spread throughout her body as she was pulled to her feet. 

They walked in comfortable silence to Johanna’s dorm, Katniss sneaking glances at Johanna every so often. Johanna unlocked her door, turning a floor lamp on but ignoring the overhead lights.”

Seeing Katniss’ questioning look, she said, “I hate these lights. They’re too bright. The lamp feels much more like natural light, you know?”

“I guess, yeah. I never thought about it much,” Katniss said, looking around the sparsely furnished room. Other than the regulation single bed and one chair by the desk, there was nowhere for her to sit, so she remained standing just inside the doorway until Johanna grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the bed. 

“Sorry, I don’t have people over much, so I never bothered investing in extra furniture. But the bed’s okay.” Walking over to the fridge, Johanna cracked open a can of beer and held it out to Katniss. “You want one?”

“I’m underage,” Katniss said, shaking her head.

Johanna rolled her eyes and took a sip from the can herself. “I know.”

“Why did you sign up for mythology?” Katniss asked suddenly. “I mean, you’re obviously not interested in it.”

“My ex-girlfriend took it,” Johanna said nonchalantly. “She kept raving about how hot the professor is, and I wanted to see for myself.”

“Oh.” So Johanna was at least interested in girls. That was a step in the right direction for her, she supposed. “Does she measure up?”

Johanna stared at her intently, and Katniss had the distinct impression that Johanna could see right through her. “Yeah, but she’s not the most attractive person in the class.”

“Who is?” Katniss asked. It was a fairly large class, with plenty of people whom Johanna might find attractive, she reasoned, so it was a fair question.

Johanna didn’t seem to think so, however. “You are, brainless,” she said.

Katniss’ eyes widened and suddenly she could feel her heart pounding in her throat. She willed herself to respond, to say anything, but the words didn’t seem to want to come out of her mouth.

“Whoa, hey,” Johanna said, waving a hand in front of Katniss’ face. “Did I totally misread things? Because I was pretty sure that you were into me, and I’m usually pretty good at that stuff, but sorry if you’re straight, because I’m totally not that kind of girl. Well, sometimes I am. But not with you, so don’t worry about it, okay?” 

Katniss realized that Johanna was now feeling as nervous as she was, and shook her head rapidly. “No, we’re good. And I’m not. Straight, I mean. You didn’t misread anything. I just didn’t realize you even knew who I was before this project, is all.”

Johanna stared at her incredulously. “God, you really are clueless, aren’t you? Why do you think I asked you to work with me?”

“I don’t know,” Katniss said. “Because everyone else had a partner?”

“Nope. Guess again.”

Suddenly aware that it was well past midnight and she was in the bedroom of someone she barely knew, Katniss shifted uncomfortably. “What exactly is going on here?”

“What do you  _want_  to be going on here?” Johanna asked.

“I don’t know,” Katniss said, trying to gather her thoughts. “I mean, I do know. I just don’t know what this is, or where it’s going, and it’s confusing.”

The confidence Johanna had been projecting all night seemed to melt away before Katniss’ eyes as Johanna stared at her intently. “It’s whatever you want it to be. You just let me know.”

Katniss felt her mouth go dry. “Any chance I can still take you up on that offer for a beer?” she asked, trying to sound more confident than she felt. Johanna handed her the can she had been drinking from, and Katniss took a sip, hoping it would take the edge off of her nerves. It didn’t, and she fought the urge to make a face at the bitter taste, not wanting Johanna to know the extent of her lack of experience with alcohol.

Her efforts seemed to have been wasted, however, when Johanna laughed lightly, plucking the can from her fingers and taking another sip. “You don’t have to try and impress me, you know,” she said, glancing down and chewing her lip nervously before adding, “I’m already impressed.”

“Why?” Katniss asked. She couldn’t think of any reason why someone like Johanna would pay her any attention.

“Because you’re gorgeous, and obviously really smart, and unlike most people, you’re not scared of me,” Johanna said.

“I’m a little scared of you,” Katniss admitted, smiling slightly. “But mostly because I really want to kiss you whenever you’re around.”

“Well, why don’t you?”

Katniss shrugged. “Because generally kissing people you’ve never met with no pretext whatsoever doesn’t go down well.”

A sly smile spread across Johanna’s face. “Well, now you’ve met me.”

“Is that an invitation?” Katniss countered, still not quite believing that Johanna Mason, the object of her affections, might actually share her feelings.

Johanna rolled her eyes. “Do you need me to write it out for you?”

“No.” Katniss leaned forward, capturing Johanna’s lips with her own. She could taste the alcohol in the kiss, and Katniss decided that beer tasted a lot better on Johanna than it did in a can.


End file.
